From the Volvo PR Department...

You know, you sorta have to admire any car company that would quote Grandpa Simpson.

Sep 26, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

IRV GOES METRIC AT FOUR MILLION

Record-Breaking Volvo Driver Irv Gordon Clocks Four Million Kilometers in his Trusty P1800

LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK (September 26, 2006) – He just keeps on going. Irv Gordon, Volvo’s “Two Million Mile Man,” just became the “Four Million Kilometer Man,” breaking the four million kilometer barrier in the same shiny red 1966 Volvo P1800 he has been driving for more than 40 years.

Sixty-four-year-old retired science teacher and Long Island native Irv Gordon made history in 2002 when he reached a milestone no other individual had ever accomplished in more than 100 years of the automobile: driving two million miles in the same vehicle. He continues to break records with his latest one-car feat.

“It was a beautiful day. I was leaving Lake Placid, the leaves were starting to turn and the road had just the right amount of twists and turns for my P1800. Perfect driving conditions for reaching a new milestone,” said Gordon, describing his four-million-kilometer moment. “The only way it would have been more perfect was if I’d been cruising the Italian Alps or driving cross-country down under. It is a metric milestone, after all.”

Although many Americans may agree with Grampa Simpson’s rant; “The metric system is the tool of the devil! My car gets forty rods to the hogshead, and that’s the way I likes it!” – Irv has clocked enough of his four million kilometers, or 2,485,484 miles, overseas to embrace the metric system in honor of such a significant milestone.

“So far, I’ve probably driven about 41,000 kilometers abroad. My P1800 and I have survived the perils of driving on the left side of the road many times in the British Isles. I’ve also driven in Sweden, Canada, Mexico, Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany. In Sweden, we drove to Volvo’s global headquarters to see where the P1800 was born,” adds Gordon.

So, what’s next for Irv? Well, he isn’t ditching mileage milestones entirely. His next goal is two-and-a-half million miles. And, at 2,485,484 miles and an upcoming trip to Las Vegas, he’s pretty close. He also would love to add Italy, France, Belgium, Greece and Hawaii to his driving credentials. Oh, and maybe squeeze in a drive around the circumference of Australia as well.
Roll on five million!

HOW FAR, EXACTLY, IS FOUR MILLION KILOMETERS?

Four million kilometers is 2,485,484 miles, or put in a different way, Irv and his trusty Volvo P1800 have traveled the equivalent of…

*Almost 100 times around the world (via the equator).

*Nearly five round-trips to the moon.

*1,111.111* completions of the Tour de France (*recurring).

*7,104 swims across the English Channel.

*More than 114 Great Race’s (New York to Paris).

IRV’S SCORE CHART

In addition to Irv and his Volvo P1800’s impressive mileage/kilometer score chart, they have racked up some other amazing numbers…

*710 oil changes. Irv recommends changing your oil every 3,500 miles (5,632 km).

*100,000 plus miles (160,934 km) per year since retiring in 1996.

*0 false starts. Zero. Zip. Not even on the coldest of mornings.

*0 replaced engines. The Volvo P1800 still has its original engine, though it was rebuilt at around 675,000 miles (1,086,307 km).

*One new starter.

*$4,150. The cost of Irv’s Volvo P1800 back in 1966. “The best $4,150 I’ve ever spent.”

*99 tune-ups (every 25,000 miles, or 40,233 km).

*8,285 tanks of gas (The Volvo gets 25 miles, or 40.23 km, per gallon).

Uhmmmm--not to quibble, but if we're going to fool around with that metric silliness, shouldn't that last figure be given in kilometers per liter?

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

I never thought it would happen, but last evening I got an odd-looking envelope from CafePress. Believe it or not, after more than a year, I FINALLY got a commission check! And it's due to YOU, good readers, that I now have $28.88 burning a hole in my pocket!

My sincere thanks to those of you who've ordered items from the Revolvoblog Store. It doesn't sound like a lot of cash, but it's better than zero, and it does help to bring home those various bits of Volvo parts to make Järn happy. (And by extension, me.)

SUCH AS--I picked up a good set of 25mm/25mm front and rear sway bars from an '84 GT off of eBay the other day for only 70 bucks or so. Those of you who get the IPD catalog probably noticed in their last printing that their (excellent quality) sway bar sets were going up in price to over $300--I had been thinking hard about getting some of these, but it's hard to pass up something that costs 4 times less.

ANYWAY, nothing much else to report as far as progress, which I suppose is very good news, although I am running way behind on getting my radiator flush done, which should have been done a year ago.

Hey--I can some buy antifreeze now!